The Boston Bruins sold hard at the trade deadline last season, with their marquee departure being captain Brad Marchand, who was shipped off to Florida, where he won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers. Back in Boston, this move left a vacancy in the captain position.
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Whenever the Bruins decide that it is time to name a new captain, there are two clear frontrunners for the spot: David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. They have already announced that they will be heading into the 2025-26 season without naming a captain, a decision that makes a great deal of sense. Eventually, they will likely make a decision and pull the trigger on naming a player to wear the “C”. While both of these players are stellar options, McAvoy seems to be the better of the two.
Why Not Pastrnak?
Pastrnak is undoubtedly the face of the Bruins’ franchise right now. He has put up 100 points in three consecutive seasons and has scored 40 goals in back-to-back seasons. He made his debut for the Bruins in 2014 and is now the team’s longest-tenured member. He has stepped into a leadership role in recent years, particularly with the departure of Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci.
While Pastrnak would likely do just fine as the captain, he is less of a vocal leader than McAvoy and former Bruins’ captains like Marchand, Bergeron, and Zdeno Chara. His leadership in recent years has been undeniable; however, his personality type aligns more with a lead-by-example approach than a captain role, which would require constant media appearances and for him to become much more vocal in the locker room. It suits Pastrnak better to stay in a leadership position where he can be the face of the franchise, their best player on the ice, but not have to take on the additional responsibilities that come with being captain of the Bruins.
Why McAvoy?
McAvoy fits the bill for captain of the Bruins just about perfectly. Another career-long member of the team, he made his NHL debut in 2016 and has been one of the best all-around defensemen in the league since. He has cemented himself as a leader on the team, and at just 27 years old, he could wear the “C” for seasons to come for the black and gold, particularly given that he is signed through the end of the 2029-30 season. With this potential for longevity, the Bruins could cement a cornerstone for this transitional period where they will aim to cement a winning culture going forward. For years, the identity of the Bruins as a team has been one of toughness and physicality. Like former captains Marchand, Bergeron, and Chara, McAvoy embodies these qualities, playing a hard-nosed, mean brand of hockey.
Clear Winner
The Bruins have two great options between Pastrnak and McAvoy. Both have assumed leadership roles in recent seasons and have experienced success in Boston. Both were drafted by the Bruins and have spent their entire careers in Boston, and both were able to learn from the best, playing alongside great Bruins captains like Marchand, Bergeron, and Chara. That said, McAvoy differentiates himself as a more vocal leader, and in that, he embodies the physical, blue-collar style of hockey that has come to be expected from Bruins teams and their leaders. It makes sense that they are heading into the season without declaring their captain; it gives the team the opportunity to observe the new locker room dynamic with Marchand gone and new faces coming in. That said, the choice is pretty clear: McAvoy should be the next captain of the Bruins.
